Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker disagree on Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal theory
Viktor Gyokeres scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season on Saturday, helping Arsenal secure a solid 2-0 victory away at Burnley. The Swedish striker, 27, has now netted against Burnley, Leeds United, and Nottingham Forest — all teams currently in the league’s bottom five.
However, his failure to score against stronger sides like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United has sparked debate. Some critics have labeled him a "flat-track bully," a term that has followed him since his prolific Sporting Lisbon period, where he scored 97 goals in 102 matches.
"I don't want to call him a flat-track bully, that's a bit unfair," Gary Lineker said on The Rest Is Football. "The criticism people make is that while he did well in Portugal, he didn’t score many against the top teams, and so far his Premier League goals have only come against Burnley, Forest, and Leeds. He needs to do it in some of the big games, but he’s had a reasonable start."
Rio Ferdinand defended Gyokeres, rejecting the notion that his goals are insignificant due to the quality of his opponents and suggesting the striker deserves time to prove himself against tougher competition.
Summary
Ferdinand defended Gyokeres from Lineker’s criticism that he only scores against weaker opponents, arguing the striker needs more time to prove his impact in bigger matches.